Sanchez Family’s GoFundMe Raises More Than $20,000 for the Children Left Behind

Support Maria Mendoza-Sanchez family.

The Highland Hospital residents’ GoFundMe account, created on Monday to assist nurse Maria Mendoza-Sanchez and her family, has raised over $21,370.

Mendoza-Sanchez, a nurse in the Highland Hospital telemetry-oncology department for two years, left Wednesday night.

In a letter to staff, Mendoza-Sanchez thanked her “Highland Hospital family” for their support. “Although, my family is undergoing hardship at this time, your support and love have given me the extra strength I need to keep fighting,” she said.

“(The residents) were devastated to hear about Maria and her husband’s deportation and separation from their children,” said Erica Valdovinos M.D., a third-year resident. “We have been worried about the impact of these policies on our patients and their health, but the last thing we expected was to watch a coworker be forced from their home and split from their family.

We were looking for any way to help, and for an opportunity for the Highland community to show how much we care,” Valdovinos said. “People are donating from across the country – it’s clear that Maria’s story has touched a lot of people.”